FORGIVING?

I want to tell Inumaki that he is Perfect. He is so expressive and loving even if he can't communicate...I feel like he would be sad for not being enough BUT LIKE HE IS THE NICEST IN WHOLE WORLD 😭😭😭😭 cryin rn

I was feeling really down, but writing this made me feel better, so thank you anon for sending this lovely little idea in.

CW: Shibuya spoilers, mentions of past injury, loss of limb, hurt/comfort, implied depression, insecurity, scars, non-sexual nudity

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“Hey baby, I’m back.”

You called out to your boyfriend as you stepped into your shared apartment. There was no response, but his shoes were in the doorway and his coat was hanging on his hook. Padding into the living space you still couldn’t find him.

“Hey, babe? Toge?”

Concerned you call out again. You knew things were rough for him right now with the five year anniversary of the loss of his arm coming up next week, but you hoped it wasn’t bad enough for him to run off.

The thought caused panic to bubble in you, your chest constricting as you hurriedly went to check the bedroom. The room was a mess, pictures and random scraps of paper strewn about. Picking up a few near the entrance, you realized that they were artifacts of your high school days. Pictures of you and Toge on dates, hanging out with the other second years, and sweet notes he wrote for you made up the mess scattered across the plush carpet.

Then your heart sank. As you surveyed the whirlwind of memories, you realized that they all had something in common. They were all from before the Shibuya Incident. Before he lost his arm.

Following the sound of running water, you pick your way across the room and push open the bathroom door. A blast of steam hits you in the face as you flip the lights and fan on. There he was.

He was sitting in the shower still wearing a pair of gray sweatpants, unresponsive as the near scalding water cascaded down on him. Without a second thought you peel off your shirt and socks before climbing into the shower with him. Crouching before him, you gently brush his sopping bangs out of his eyes.

“Hey babe. Found you.”

You smile softly at him, cupping his face with your right hand. He doesn’t respond, but he leans slightly into your touch.

“Can I hold you?”

You keep your voice gentle and quiet, your heart breaking for him. A slight, barely perceptible nod was the only sign that he even heard you. Maneuvering so you were sitting beside him, you wrap one arm around his back and lean against him. After a moment, he tilts his head so it’s resting on yours.

Sitting in silence, you give him the space and time he needs. After a long stretch of time, he pulls away and turns so you are facing him. You place your hand on his knee and squeeze it, silently telling him that you’re there for him, and he can take all the time he needs.

Clumsily, he begins signing with his remaining hand.

Why are you still with me?

Of all the things he could have asked or said, this was not one of the things you would have anticipated. You take a moment to think. Then you reply simply and bluntly, wanting to make sure that he understood what you were saying.

“Because you’re you. And I love you.”

He looks frustrated and his signing becomes jerkier as he speeds up.

But look at me!

He makes a vague gesture towards his entire body.

“I am. And all I see is the man I love.”

You have an idea where this is coming from, but you want to wait until he says it because the idea that he would think so lowly of himself physically pained you.

But I’m useless! His shoulders slump and he repeats the hand motion. Useless. 

“You’re not useless.”

You say firmly. 

“Not even in the slightest.”

I am though. 

The haunted look of self-loathing looked unnatural on his gorgeous face. 

I’m practically useless as a jujutsu sorcerer. I already have this technique that hurts me more than it helps others. Now I can’t even make up for my weakness with my physical ability because I lost my arm. 

Tears join the shower water dripping down his face.

And not only am I a worthless jujutsu sorcerer, I’m a pathetic boyfriend. I can’t hold you, the person I love more than anything else in this world, in my arms. I’m not strong enough to protect you. Hell I can’t even tell you I love you with my words! 

He averts his gaze to the water going down the drain.

And on top of all that, I’m selfish. I know I’m worthless. I know I’m not good enough for you, but I need you. I’m not a good enough person to let you go.

Finally done, his hand dropped to his side with a small splash.

“Hey.”

Your voice is loving, but insistent as you speak.

“Look at me.”

He complies, his lovely violet eyes dark and hopeless.

“You told me to look at you earlier. And I am. Do you know what I see?”

A pathetic man who-

You continue talking, ignoring him.

“I see the man I fell in love with in high school. He’s grown up and changed, but at heart he’s the same person.”

You caress his cheek, looking deep into his eyes.

“His face has sharpened and become more handsome.”

He shuddered against your palm as you brush your thumb along his cheekbone and jawline.

“His eyes show that he’s seen and experienced indescribable horrors. He’s lost that innocence. But I love him all the more for it. Because I’ve changed too. I’ve lost my innocent belief that we are untouchable. I’ve become harsher, more pessimistic, and less emotional. But you know what’s in my heart?”

You take his hand and place it on your chest. Quietly he watches you, and you can see that your words are starting to penetrate the self-hatred clouding his mind.

“In here lives the silly teenage girl who thought that she and all her loved ones were untouchable, invincible. The girl who cared too much about anything and anyone. The girl who spent hours daydreaming about going on romantic dates with her white haired classmate that always had a mischievous spark in his eyes. The girl who kept a meticulous journal of her dream wedding to a boy with purple eyes and beautiful markings around his mouth.”

The corners of Inumaki’s mouth lifted a miniscule amount and his eyes softened as he remembered. Encouraged, you reach behind you and turn the water off. Continuing to speak, you begin removing his soaked sweatpants.

“As for your inability to tell me that you love me with your words, that has never bothered me.”

Placing the sweatpants beside you to deal with later, you gently tug on his arm until he stands and steps out of the shower.

“Honestly, I like it better that way.”

He shoots you a disbelieving look at your words, but allows you to dry him off before helping him into a fresh pair of boxers and sweatpants.

“Really, I do. It’s so easy to say the words ‘I love you’ and not mean them at all. It’s a lot harder to fake it or lie if you have to express them through your actions. The way you worked so hard everyday to make sure I knew how you felt made me feel even more secure and loved than a few shallow words could.”

You quickly dry yourself off and change into a fresh pair of panties and a new shirt. Leading out of the bathroom and into your bedroom, you sit in the middle of your bed and lay a towel across your lap before patting it. Obediently he laid down and put his head on your lap. You began drying his hair.

“You’re special, Toge. You express yourself through physical touch and acts of service, and have never verbally said the words ‘I love you’ to me, but let me tell you. Not once, in the five and a half years we’ve been dating, have I doubted for even a second that you loved me. Do you understand? I don’t need you to be able to say the words to me. I already know.”

After you finished drying his hair, he sat up and faced you.

But what about my arm? Do you really want to be with me still? I’m disfigured and disabled.

The look in your eyes is so tender he can barely stand it. Why? Why do you look at him with such love and affection? 

“Toge.”

You breathe, the look on your face telling him that you knew exactly what was running through his mind.

“I didn’t fall in love with you because of these.”

You squeeze his bicep.

“I fell in love with you because of this.”

You tap his temple.

“And because of this.”

You lay your palm flat against his chest. Looking up at him, he can see the sincerity shining in your eyes.

“I love you for you, Toge. You could be the ugliest, most ratchet mf to ever roam the face of the planet and I would still love you. Because you will always be my person. And I hope that I’ll always be yours.”

He nods, smiling at your word choice as tears well in his eyes, relief hitting him like a freight train as you managed to say exactly what he needed to hear. Tugging your arm, you help him pull you into his lap. Wrapping his arm around your waist, he buries his face in your neck as you drape your arms around his neck and card through his hair.

He presses repeated kisses against the crook of your neck, each one a silent apology for doubting the love you shared.

You rested your cheek against his soft white hair and took comfort in the intimacy of the moment. Kissing the side of his head, you whisper the words you so desperately want him to engrain into his soul and never forget.

“You, Inumaki Toge, are perfect. Just the way you are.”

❝ YOU KNOW HOW TO BALL, I KNOW ARISTOTLE ❞

[ loner!megumi x popular!reader masterlist ]

insp: so high school - taylor swift

✧ summary: when having your friends over one night, they take an interest in your past as a the popular cheerleader in high school. then how the hell did the school's biggest loner end up with you? ✧ cw: loner!megumi (basically canon megumi ig), f!reader, popular!reader, sorority!reader, college au, non-sorcerer au, all characters aged up (18/19 in flashbacks, 20 and up in present scenarios), pure fluff, like tooth rotting fluff, teasing, no use of y/n ✧ word count: 6.5k

How the biggest loner in school had ended up with the most popular girl, who could have literally anyone she wanted, always had people quirk a questioning eyebrow.

Megumi’s friends were no different.

“You’ve never mentioned you were a cheerleader!” Nobara said in awe as her eyes travelled the printed pictures you’d hung up on the wall of your room, tokens of past memories.

Pictures of you with your family and some of you hanging out with friends, doing all sorts of shenanigans. Some photos from rowdy parties you’d never show your parents, certain they would crucify you if they knew what you were up to at that age.

Then there were the once Nobara had taken a liking to; you as a cheerleader. Some from baseball games where you cheered from the sidelines with your squad. Some of you placed on the top of a pyramid, sporting that toothy, rehearsed grin all cheerleaders had perfected. But the one Nobara had pointed out in particular, was one where you were simply posing alone, pom-poms raised in the air. That one was also Megumi’s favourite. He’d been the one to snap the photo, and he never passed up the opportunity to say how cute he thought you looked in the uniform.

“Head cheerleader, actually,” you smiled proudly as you fell onto the couch beside your boyfriend.

“So you were popular?”

A lighthearted chuckle escaped you at the innocent question. “Guess you could say that-“

“Wait, wait, wait, WAIT!” You were abruptly interrupted when a different picture had captured her attention. Turning to look at her, you saw her finger was pointing out what just so happened to be your favourite photo.

Right in the centre of your wall, was one starring Megumi. It was from the last baseball game you ever cheered for, where you had only officially been a couple for about a month. You had begged and begged for him to pose with you for just one photo. With hesitation imprinted on his entire demeanor, he had kept trying to convince you he was more comfortable behind the camera — but you had demanded, resulting in your favourite picture to ever exist. Standing on your tip toes to place a tender kiss on his blushing cheek, your hand was resting on his chest, while he had a secure hand placed on your waist and a shy smile painting his pretty face.

“Is that really you, Fushiguro?” She exclaimed in surprise, leaning in closer to get a better look, like she had to make sure it was actually Megumi you were kissing.

“That’s me,” he sighed.

“When did the two of you get together?”

“Senior year,” you chimed in unison. When Nobara turned towards you and Megumi again, her eyes flickered between you. It was an action that slowly wiped away the little joy you’d felt at her excitement of your past, now that you had a slight idea where this conversation might be headed.

“Were the two of you even in the same crowd?” Yuji interjected from the other side of the small coffee table, seated comfortably in the beanbag you’d furnished your room with. Your eyes followed a restless Nobara take a seat beside him on the floor, legs tucked under her as she propped her elbows on the table to rest her head in her hands.

In the corner of your eye, you spotted Megumi ogling you with a tiny, self satisfied smirk. “No, absolutely not,” he confirmed.

“So how did that happen?” The pink haired boy nearly scoffed, which should probably have offended Megumi.

At his side, he noticed how you had started to grow antsy at their piercing eyes interrogating you. Like second nature, he moved his hand from the couch to place it on your shoulder in order to try and settle some of your squirming, despite taking some pleasure in seeing you like this, precisely because it happened so rarely.

As it had been pointed out, you’d been popular back in high school. Immensely so, which had been somewhat of a blessing as it had provided you with a sturdy foundation for some confidence that had followed you as you got older.

But right now, it had begun to waver.

“I mean, how’d you manage that?”

“I didn’t.” It was such a simple statement, but it was absolutely dripping with smugness, practically hearing the smirk in his words.

All you heard from Nobara was constant bewildered stuttering, having you shrink further into yourself. “Man, come on,” Yuji continued with a chuckle. “We know what you were like in high school. You don’t have to be embarrassed.”

“I’m not embarrassed.” Both of your friends were taken aback by the uncharacteristic humour in his voice. To you, the cheeky twang to his tone wasn’t unusual, he just preferred to keep it hidden within the privacy of your relationship — except for when this became the topic of conversation.

“You don’t mean to tell me your loner ass pulled her, just like that?” Nobara finally found her voice again to say.

“Not at all what I’m saying.” The two friends looked at each other, mirroring the same expression of slight confusion.

“Stop with the cryptic statements and just tell us already!” Yuji burst out. Megumi turned his full attention to you now, which had both Nobara and Yuji snap their heads in your direction as well.

Your gaze quickly flittered between the three, never daring to let it land anywhere permanent. “What?” You asked with feigned innocence, causing your boyfriend to not be able to withhold an eye roll.

“She pulled me.”

The room turned silent, and only the ambiance of the house filled the void — the chatter of your sorority sisters downstairs, the gushing wind from the small fan in the corner of your room and the ticking of the clock mounted above your desk.

Then came the laughter.

Unruly, uncontrollable and genuine laughter from them both. Yuji even dried a single tear. But it awkwardly died down when they noticed neither you nor Megumi were joining in on their fun. You’d turned completely red, grumpily knitted your arms across your chest while Megumi still had that god awful smirk.

“Wait- you’re not joking?” Nobara spoke softly while some chuckles still escaped her.

“No,” you sighed deeply. “He’s not kidding.”

Now, you were in no shape or form ashamed over being with Megumi, and he was well aware of that. Some part of him even wished you were more ashamed of him, because you often got unabashedly vocal in your pure admiration for your boyfriend any time the opportunity arose. He never made much of a number of himself, so it was just not used to the fact that you did.

Nonetheless, every time it came up that ‘you’d pulled him’, your defining confidence took a hit — but it had more to do with you than it did Megumi.

Some would probably judge you if they knew you took a weird sense of pride in your past as the stereotypical popular cheerleader, but you had genuinely enjoyed your time in high school because of it. And for some reason, when they learned you were the one who had pursued Megumi, you felt like some of the respect you’d attained, simply disappeared.

All the hard work you’d put in to give off the impression you wanted to waste, and why? Because Megumi was quiet? Absolutely ridiculous.

That was just another factor that provoked your anger — the insinuation that you were out of Megumi’s league. You’d never thought along those lines, so it bothered you beyond belief when others hinted at it, because truthfully it wasn’t anything but rude.

Megumi, however, thought it laughable. He even found himself agreeing with his friends. If he were to take a look at you as a couple like a fly in the wall, he too would think ‘how the hell did he pull that off’.

For as long as he could remember, he’d observed all sorts of guys line up before you in an attempt to be with you. You definitely didn’t have a shortage of possible suitors, so every now and then when he came to actually think about the fact, he still became baffled that it was him you were dating.

So witnessing you get all worked up on his behalf was nothing short of adorable.

“I even turned her down at first,” he continued, reactively making you swat his leg weakly, lips pursed together in annoyance. It did nothing to stifle his amusement, only finding your tiny hissyfit comical.

“There’s no way!” Yuji huffed in pure disbelief. “You gotta tell us!”

You let out a deep sigh, and took on the responsibility to reveal the history of you and Megumi.

The two of you had lived separate lives for the most of high school, and even if you now hated to admit it, Megumi never really caught your eye at all. He sort of just blended in with the environment, keeping mostly to himself — until one day.

You were running late for practice, hurriedly tying your hair up in a tight ponytail as you turned the corner and crashed right into a broad chest. His firm hands had instantly grabbed your arms to keep from knocking you over.

“Oh my god, I am so sorry! I’m in a rush and I didn’t see where I was going-“ you began to ramble, but when you looked up to see who you’d been so unfortunate to walk into, you quickly forgot how to speak. You were staring into the most soulful, dark eyes you’d ever seen.

“‘S okay,” he mumbled, his raspy voice sending a small shiver down your spine. There was nothing in his tone that you were able to read, unsure if he was pissed or not. When his hands had left your arms, you released a breath you didn’t even know you were holding, keeping your eyes glued on him as he simply walked past you without another word.

Throughout the day, you could not for the life of you shake away the thought of this guy. His deep eyes that had seemed to hold so much knowledge, how assertively he had grabbed you to keep you from falling. Now that you finally knew he existed, he kept catching your eye all about the school grounds and you’d wondered how this handsome and mysterious guy had just slipped you by all these years.

“Hey,” you shyly leaned closer to your friend to whisper in her ear. “Do you know him?” She quickly followed your gaze, narrowing her eyebrows when she saw who you were staring at.

“Who? Fushiguro?”

“As in Tsumiki Fushiguro?”

“Yeah, he’s her little brother.”

“Didn’t know she had a brother,” you whispered mostly to yourself. “So he is a senior?”

She shrugged, seeming like she was interested in changing the topic of conversation. “Technically. Think he got held back a year because he was absent a lot when she got sick.”

“Makes sense.”

Your eyes lingered on the black haired boy sitting all the way at the other side of the cafeteria, all by himself, nose deep in some book. “You’re kidding, right?” Your friend chuckled, capturing your attention again.

“What?” You batted your eyelashes at her, putting on the most virtuous front you could muster.

“I’ve seen that look before! You can not look at Megumi Fushiguro with those eyes!” Brushing off her judgement with a roll of the eyes, you turned your attention back to see he was still solely focused on his book.

The next few days you kept observing him around school, almost always on his own. He walked from one class to another, backback slung over one shoulder and hands in his pockets. You just got more and more intrigued, seeing as no one you knew could tell you anything useful about him except that he had zero friends due to having somewhat of a bad reputation in middle school.

One day, while you had cheerleading practice, you’d seen him walk by the court and the spirit to approach him just came over you. You wanted to get to know him, see who this guy no one seemed to know, was. Your friends desperately called your name to stop you from walking over to him, but you were already jogging in his direction.

“Hey!” You shouted at him, his head turning towards you right away, a very visible frown painting his eyebrows. “Megumi, right?” You smiled sweetly, subconsciously swinging your hips slightly, your short cheerleading skirt twisting gracefully as you did.

“Yeah,” he sighed, shoulders slumping. You quickly introduced yourself by name, but getting no reaction from him what so ever, jammed a small splinter into your confidence.

“I was just wondering if you’d want to go out sometime?” You cutely bit your bottom lip, gazing sweetly at him through your eyelashes.

“No thanks.”

“Uh- I’m sorry?” Your expression had fallen at his unexpected response.

“‘M not interested.” There was no sarcasm or taunting in his voice, which only made his blunt rejection worse. Couldn’t he at least have done you the honour of a small scoff?

“Oh. Okay…” You whispered a small bye before awkwardly turning back around to rejoin the practice, utterly confused about the whole interaction.

What you didn’t have the satisfaction of witnessing, was the fact that Megumi’s face had heated up in a way he had never experienced before.

He was absolutely mortified with embarrassment at your stunt, daringly turning his head to look at you as you’d joined your friends again to see if they were all laughing as he had expected. Because it was a prank, right? Your friends had set you up to ask him out so he’d make a fool of himself in front of the most popular girl in school — the girl who’d never noticed him until today.

But he never even saw as much as a forced smile. You looked genuinely upset while your friends just seemed absolutely befuddled with a sympathetic glimpse in their eyes. Could it really have been a serious request you’d given him? There was no way.

Two weeks passed, and despite having experienced your first ever rejection, Megumi still served as an itch you just couldn’t reach. You didn’t know what it was about him that had managed to captivate you so deeply, but you kept thinking about him. Maybe it was just the fact that he’d so quickly turned you down so your ego was bruised, but nevertheless, he was on your mind.

Your eyes kept being drawn to him, like he had some magnetic pull on you that you couldn’t resist. What was worse, was it seemed he now had become aware of your longing glares. More often than not, you ended up wringing your head back to your friends at the speed of light when he suddenly caught you looking.

“You gotta stop with the sad doe eyes at Fushiguro!” Your friend had interrupted through gritted teeth at one occasion you’d yet again been staring. “It’s kinda humiliating.”

“Can’t help it,” was all you’d whispered before trying to shift your focus back to the class — where you were just handed a failed English test, which was disastrous considering university was just around the corner.

“Maybe you should ask Fushiguro to tutor you,” your friend teased as she spotted your failing grade, nothing but pure mockery in her voice.

“Why would I do that?”

She only gave you a dumb look, surprised you hadn’t learned that Megumi was actually at the top of the class in English by a long shot, considering you’d been making eyes at him for two weeks straight.

Your eyes widened, the lightbulb appearing above your head in an instant. “No- no I was joking!” Your friend argued, but you’d already made up your mind.

And first thing after class, you went scouting for Megumi during lunch, to find him, to no surprise to anyone, sitting alone in the same spot he usually occupied.

“Hi,” you said shyly, only faded traces of your famous confidence present. He looked up at the sound of your voice, removing his headphones. “Don’t worry, I’m not here to ask you out again,” you tried to joke but there was yet again, no reaction.

“Can I help you or…” he trailed of, tone in the exact same pitch as the last time you had talked to him, sending that same shiver down your spine.

“Yeah, actually. A little birdie told me you’re like an English genius, while I’m not.” Still not the tiniest movement in his face to tell you how this was going. “I’m failing horribly, and this is my last chance to save my grade before we graduate. So I was wondering if you’d be able to tutor me?”

“Uhm-“ he was nearly too stunned to speak as he had not expected that. He tilted his head to the side so he could peek at your friends, again trying to see if there were any mischievous intents. But truthfully, they looked as shocked as he did at the fact that you’d approached him.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to! I’m prepared for the no this time.” He felt the hair on his neck raise as an awkward, but still pretty, smile decorated the line of your lips.

“Sure,” he hesitated to accept, watching as the relief washed over you and you became visibly lighter.

“Really?” He subtly swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat and nodded weakly. The lump came back just as quickly as he’d gotten rid of it when you flashed him a gorgeous grin that crinkled the corner of your eyes. “Alright. I’ll get back to you then.” And so you strutted away with a spring in your step back to your friends.

And not this time either did you catch the sprinkle of dusted pink across his cheeks.

It started slow at first, only an hour every week in the school library. You tried your very best to shove the memory of his rejection to the back of your mind. Because even though you managed to keep up the confident front, you were still haunted by the scene where you made a complete fool out of yourself. But for each meeting, your shoulders did eventually relax more and more, until you were able to act somewhat normal despite still finding him incredibly intriguing.

Megumi’s, however, got tenser every time he had to sit opposite you and watch how your lips subconsciously tightened in a tiny purse when you concentrated, or how you took your pen between your teeth when you crossed the line of being too exhausted to study anymore.

Nevertheless, you soon fell into a steady schedule — until you had to break it.

Megumi’s heart started racing the second your name had lit up his phone screen thirty minutes before you were supposed to meet him in the library. You’d never called him before, having kept to texting about your meet-ups.

“Hi!” You stressed into the phone, shuffling in the background. “I’m so sorry to do this on such short notice, but I suddenly have a last minute cheer practice I have to go to.”

“Oh, yeah, sure. No problem.” What neither of you knew, was that you were both disappointed. It had gone completely unsaid by the both of you, but at some point you had started looking forward to the tutoring hours for reasons not due to the curriculum.

“I mean, we could-“ you cut yourself off, biting your nail in an attempt to smother your nerves as you considered the suggestion that rested on your tongue. You were completely terrified he’d reject you again if he saw it as another sorry attempt of hitting on him.

“Yeah?” He asked curiously in a perkier tone than you’d ever heard from him before.

“I’m quite hopeless in English still, so it would be a shame to miss a meeting.” You were glad he couldn’t see you, because you were pinching your eyes shut in utter embarrassment at your lame excuse. “So if you’re down we could meet at my place after practice?” There was silence for a second, you began to wonder if he’d hung up. “Megumi?”

“I’m here, sorry,” he said weakly before clearing his throat. “I don’t see why not.”

“Great!” He heard how some of your confidence had returned as the usual chipper lilt to your voice had come back.

Through the entire practice, you were more restless than usual, which your friends quickly picked up on as you could not for the life of you stop ruffling your pom-poms together. It felt like the two hours out on that field couldn’t possibly last any longer, rushing home as soon as your coach dismissed you.

And what surprised you even more was how Megumi was already sat on the front steps of your house waiting by the time you got home. “Hi,” you breathed softly, a small smile on your lips as you pulled the ponytail out of your hair.

He only managed to tighten his lips in a thin line that could resemble a small smile if you squinted, because he was genuinely mesmerised by the sight of you. Your face was slightly tainted red by exhaustion, the uniform still on with the sports bag across your body. And once you let your hair down, it framed your face perfectly.

“Hope I didn’t keep you waiting for long.” Fidgeting with your keys as you walked passed him, he was stunned at how at peace you suddenly seemed. Maybe it was the fact that you were tired from practice, or the fact that you were suddenly on safer grounds now that you were home — either way it was a delightful shift he noticed in you.

“Only like five minutes.” You flashed him another smile as he followed you into the house, which looked pretty much exactly how he’d pictured it. Nice furniture, perfectly tidy, typical suburban home you’d expect the head cheerleader to live in.

“Is it okay I just take a quick shower before we get started?”

“Of course,” he nodded as you’d lead him into your bedroom.

“I’ll be real quick.” With yet another sweet smile, you left him alone in your room and he felt incredibly out of place. He awkwardly sat down at your desk as he let his eyes travel the room. The frown that so naturally came to his face, simply softened as he saw the small momentous of your life, getting an insight in who you were beyond the cheer uniform — how he knew you.

There was a bookshelf in the corner of your room, but not filled with as many books as one would expect. The two bottom shelves were filled with different titles, a mixture of textbooks and literature, none of which he recognised. But the rest of the shelf was scattered with all sorts of trinkets, trophies and framed photos. Without much thought, he’d gotten up from the chair to get a better look.

“Anything catch your eye?” He flinched at the sudden sound of your voice. Turning around to face you, his eyes betrayed him as he let them travel your body for a quick second. You were wearing grey sweatpants, a simple black tank top and your hair was simply pulled back by a hairband. If you even noticed him looking, you were doing him the favour of not mentioning it.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to pry,” he awkwardly stumbled over his words.

“Oh, no no, it’s all good. It’s on display after all,” you said as you walked over to stand beside him.

“It’s cute.” He didn’t know what had come over him, but he felt there was just the tiniest glimmer of boldness in him. Maybe it was the unexpected comfortable atmosphere you simply provided by being so casual, or the fact that the two of you might be considered friends. Which was definitely unfamiliar territory for him, but he liked the idea of it.

“Yeah?” You asked curiously, a surprised raised eyebrow as you turned to look up at him.

He smothered the tiny fear he often got whenever he had to look at you and faced you, softening at the image of your person. God, how he regretted turning you down that day by the court. And now it was too late. You had now probably come to the realisation that he was just as aloof and awkward as he appeared to be and now you simply wanted to stick to being tutored.

“Yeah, all these memories put into material stuff for you to just gaze upon and just reminisce. It’s nice,” he shrugged, trying his best to seem calm and nonchalant.

“How poetic,” you teased as you nudged him with your elbow. “Fits the mysterious persona.” He wanted to say something, something silly to fire back at you so he could make you giggle. And despite being clever with words and language, you truly had the influence to kill that part of him. Where he lacked in basic small talk, he was grateful you were smooth enough to just turn the focus to your desk. “Maybe we should get started.”

It didn’t take more than twenty minutes for the pen to be placed between your teeth, as he had learned was a sign there was little point in continuing today’s session. He tried to proactively fight the disappointment that would take ahold of him when you were to send him home soon, but it never came. On the contrary, you hit him with an unexpected question. “You hungry?”

He just blinked at you a couple of times before nodding slowly. “I could definitely eat.”

“How about we order pizza? My treat, like a thanks for helping me out. Or you can consider it payment,” you chuckled as you reached for your phone to order.

“Pizza sounds nice,” he said with a small smile, which caught your attention, immediately having to swallow away the nerves that built up at the frame. He so rarely let his lips curve upwards, so whenever it did happen, your heart decided to skip the smallest beat.

Averting your gaze and clearing your throat to speak again, thanking all the mightier powers that you managed to keep your voice steady. “Pepperoni alright with you?” He simply nodded before relaxing back in the chair.

You were the perfect hostess, making him feel a little stupid as he just sat by your desk while you ran around fixing everything. You brought plates, drinks, napkins. Oh, and pillows, because you usually shared pizza with your girlfriends while sat on the floor, and sooner rather than later the pizza arrived.

“Bon appetite,” you breathed happily as you put it down on the floor as you sat down on the pillow opposite him. “So, what is it you’re reading all the time?”

The question caught him off guard. As long as this arrangement had been going on, you hadn’t really made an attempt in trying to talk about anything other than school. It was mostly just a tiny comment here and there that he simply let drift by.

“Sorry?” Was all he managed to muster out as he served himself a slice.

“I always see you reading something. What is it you read?” His eyes roamed your face, so surprised by the genuine interest in getting to know him.

“All sorts of stuff, I guess,” he shrugged.

“So what’s your favourite then?”

“Aristotle.”

“Aristotle?” You asked simply. He nodded. “Like the philosopher?” He nodded again, giving you a charmed smile.

“So what’s it about his stuff that you like?”

“I suppose his take on ethics is what interests me the most.”

You nodded slowly as swallowed. “Tell me about it!”

He was a little dazed at all the questions, because he’d never really found himself in a situation like this before. No one had really made the effort to try and get to know him like this.

And so he did as he was told, explaining Aristotle to you. He felt extremely pretentious where he sat on your floor, carefully explaining the ins and outs of one of history’s greatest philosophers. But you listened so intently, following every word he said.

What surprised him the most was how silence never seemed to overcome you, which was usually what happened to him. That was all thanks to you, of course, as you kept on asking him rather leading questions so he would have no trouble keeping the conversation going.

Despite you taking lead in the conversation, you both managed to keep the conversation flowing nicely. So nicely, neither of you realised how late it had gotten until you looked out the window to see it was completely dark.

“I should probably head home.” His tone had done a 180 from when he first arrived, revealing a side of him no one at school had seen at least.

You nodded shyly, hiding the fact that you where upset the evening had to end. “I’ll follow you out.”

Opening the door, your eyes never left his face until he faced you to meet his dark eyes again. But they had changed — though just as deep as always, they weren’t cold anymore. They now spoke with a newfound tenderness.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” He didn’t mean for it to come out like a pathetic question, like he desperately wanted — needed — you to come talk to him. Luckily for him you only flashed your teeth in a kind smile.

“See you tomorrow.” A teensy, childlike smile grew on his lips as an instinctive reaction to your words. Before he managed to turn on his heel and leave, your arms snaked around his neck with glee and pulled him in for a hug.

His breath hitched in his throat and his limbs froze at his side at the sudden gesture. “I had a nice time tonight,” you muffled, making him shudder at the feeling of your warm breath against his ear.

He knew he’d regret it if he didn’t seize this opportunity. Letting your voice be what grounded him in reality again, he laced his arms around your waist to return the embrace.

“Yeah, me too.”

After that, things just escalated. You still hung out with your friends for the most part, but you tagged along with Megumi in between classes. It was a pleasant surprise when you would called out his name down the hallway, jogging to catch up with him.

You were radiating. Genuinely glowing with a sense of contentment. What he didn’t know was that it was solely because of him. Ever since you’d hugged him goodbye that night, you’d been shaking with anticipation to see him again.

For a few minutes every day, he felt like he had you all to himself before returning back to your own life in school. And even then, you still sent him calming smiles that reassured the worries he had that he was imagining things and you’d just forget about him the next day.

“What is going on?” One of the batters from the baseball team had asked you one time, as he had come up to walk beside you just as you’d left Megumi to sit with your friends for lunch.

“What d’you mean?” You asked innocently as you placed your tray on the table before sitting down.

“With you and Fushiguro?” His voice was absolutely dripping with disgust when saying his name.

“She has a crush,” your friend, who’d been observing your pining for weeks, teased as she inserted herself into the conversation.

“You can’t be for real?” He scoffed.

“What? You jealous it’s not you?” You’d fired back immediately, giving him a flirtatious look knowing damn well that was actually the case.

“Of Fushiguro? You’re ridiculous.” You fought the snicker that was lodged in your chest as you so clearly heard the embarrassed tremble in his voice.

Despite your friends judging every second you spent with Megumi, whether if it was because he was tutoring you or not, you genuinely couldn’t care less. You saw absolutely no reason to be ashamed over hanging out with him, because you were too distracted by the tingling feeling he sparked deep in your stomach every time you felt his eyes rest on you.

And two months before graduation, you had turned warm with happiness when you’d been met with Megumi leaned against the wall outside the classroom, waiting for you to finish the dreaded English test he’d so diligently helped you study for. You’d only mentioned one time when the test were to take place, and the fact that he had remembered and turned up to show his support, without you requesting, only had your smitten heart beat faster.

“How’d you think it went?”

“As well as it could, I suppose. The grade will be up later today,” you shrugged, rubbing your bare arms in an attempt to calm your nerves.

“I’ll wait with you,” he sighed as he pushed himself off the wall to walk along side you.

“You don’t have to-“

“I want to.” He winced quietly, feeling the words had left him way too quickly to seem cool. “Just so you know, if you get an A, I do take cash as payment.” Your mouth instantly dropped in shock, not believing your own ears.

“Was that a joke I just heard?” You said as you gently shoved him with your shoulder.

With a satisfied pull of his shoulders, you couldn’t help but scrunch your nose at how absolutely adorable he was being.

As much as he wanted to enjoy the day, simply hanging out, he was filled with a small feeling of panic. Because once you got that grade, you no longer had an excuse to hang out and he just expected things would go back to how they were before. You’d go back to not even acknowledging his existence, while he would go back to blending in with the crowd, voice going hoarse because he didn’t have anyone to talk to anymore.

And once you got a notification and your face froze, he realised his time with you was limited. He studied every inch of you carefully as you took a deep breath before checking the grade.

“I got a B,” you whispered.

“Come again?”

“I got a B,” you squealed, latching on around his neck in a bone crushing hug. “Thank you so much, Megumi!”

A deep exhale of solace left him at the sensation of your body pressed up against him in a caring embrace. “You did great,” he mumbled shyly.

When the hug broke, much to his dismay, he brazenly let his hands remain on the dips of your torso. Then, what he had only imagined in his wildest dreams happened, when you so determinedly placed both your hands on his face and pulled him in for a spontaneous kiss right on the lips.

When you realised what you were doing, you abruptly pulled away, clasping both hands over your mouth, staring at him with distress.

“I am so sorry!” You apologised profusely, the words muffled against your hands still covering your guilty lips.

“It’s okay,” he swallowed, but he wasn’t even sure the words made its way past his lips. He just knew his face had turned completely red at your sudden action.

Your hands moved from your mouth to cover your eyes so you wouldn’t have to look at him. “I did not mean to jump you like that. That was so disrespectful! My god, I cannot stress enough how sorry I am!” The sorry words just tumbled out of you, so embarrassed that you’d just thrown yourself at him like that. And in the process, probably ruining every chance you might have had with him.

For what felt like an eternity, you stood there in complete silence before you jumped slightly when you felt his prominent fingers carefully wrapping around your wrists, and pulled them away so you met his understanding eyes.

“Ask me again.” The blush was still visible on his face, but he didn’t seem as mortified as he was mere seconds ago.

“What?”

“You know what,” flashing your small smirk. “Ask me again.” Your brain worked overtime to decipher his message as his eyes flickered between yours. You drew a sharp breath when it hit you like a truck what he was hinting at.

“Would you like to go out sometime?” Déjà vu washed over the two of you, the question sounding just as sugar sweet as it did the first time.

“I would love to.”

“That’s actually quite adorable,” Yuji smiled, as he wrapped his arms tighter around the pillow in his lap.

Nobara didn’t seem as impressed by the story, necessarily. She had her eyebrows pinched together in a frown that seemed anything but understanding. “You really did pursue Fushiguro?”

You rolled your eyes at her. “Yeah,” you said with a shrug. “He was exceptionally cute.” You turned towards him again, grabbing his chin in your hands and wiggling it, puckering your lips at him. It managed to draw out the reaction you wanted — subtle blush kissed cheeks.

“You really had the high school life I always dreamed of, and you gambled it over Fushiguro?” Her dramatic sigh rang through the room as her head fell back, finally being the one to offend Megumi — which was probably way overdue anyways.

You simply scoffed at her, snapping her head back up to look at you. “I didn’t gamble anything,” a smug grin greeting her. “My reputation was never in any danger. Not even Megumi could destroy that.” A squeal instantly yelped out of you when he pinched your side to tickle you. “I’m joking,” you giggled as you let your body melt further into the crook of his arm. “Or, not really. I meant what I said that my reputation was never in danger.”

“I would have killed to know you at eighteen,” she whined and she crossed her arms, a grumpy pout on her lips.

“Then I would be risking my reputation,” you mocked, both the boys laughing at your jab while she just let her jaw drop. “I’m kidding! I would have loved to know you in high school.”

After a while, Nobara and Yuji fell into a bickering match neither you or Megumi had any clue what was about. Your finger traced slow circles on his thigh while you felt his hand give you a slight squeeze.

“You okay?” You took a deep breath through the nose and nodded.

“Mhmm,” you smiled and met his gaze. “Just getting nostalgic.”

He leaned forward and placed a sweet kiss on your shoulder before resting his chin on the spot he just gifted his affection. “Yeah, me too.” His eyes admired your face as your eyes softly followed his hairline, dragging your hand through his hair. “Does that mean you wanna order pepperoni pizza?”

Your eyes lit up immediately, beaming at him with pure joy. “You know me so well!”

Another small peck was placed on your shoulder before he reached for his phone.

a/n aaaaah it's here... the introduction to my 400 followers special. i am actually so happy with this and so excited to produce this "project" if you will i think this fic will be mostly serve like an introduction, and other stuff ill post will be more like drabbles, that ill write when im motivated ofc, but also when i dont have any other ideas - because i have quite a few ideas lined up. but so we're clear, everything that takes place in megumi and reader's story happens from when they're 18/19 and up. but yea, so excited to share this concept with you guys <3

reblogs, likes and comments are appreciated

plagiarism not authorized

tag list @sad-darksoul, @nyahctrl, @ssetsuka

hiii can I request kaiser with french gf ?? idk if that really makes sense

french gf – kaiser

m.list | rules

Note: I am french and I love him to death I mean please yes I LOVE IT

there’s a lot of differences between french and german but I think he would love to see somethings else

you’ve got a temper and he likes to play with that

he would tease the shit out off you until you threaten him to hit him

which would make him laugh, until you really do it

even so, if you lightly hit him he would laugh

he wants to learn french’s words from you but he’s only picking up the insult you say while talking to your siblings/friends

he’s head over heels about it, he loves listening to you talking in french even if you rarely do now

you’re too shy to talk to yourself in french with people around, even him

but you’re always happy to teach him some french

he wants to be able to speak a little when he meet your family

I think he would love french show and would be more into it than you are

He would want to try a lot of french food !! 

Asks you to do some if you can, if not he wants to try French's restaurant and let you note them

When you're down or upset or even missing your country he takes out from the best one and make perfect indoor night 

If you drink, he probably once asked when you started and he's SHOCKED when you say something between 13 and 16 (don't come at me i speak facts)

He loves going on trip there with you 

I think he would love Paris and Lyon 

He would love charcuterie board but HATE the acne he gets from it

Shocked to see that cliché aren't that real

He's in love with you speaking French in France, he wants to go all the time after that

He tries as well but get annoyed when he's being corrected

He insult people he doesn't like in German

Let me know if you liked it !

Reblog are appreciated ♡

HEYYY🦅

I really likes your megumi drabble. HE SO CUTE😭😭 i kinda wish you write more megumi 🩷

megumi fluff (?) and angst at your service! sorry it took FOREVER i had 478274 exams these past few weeks ughhh sorry & ily thx for the req ~~~

he likes me, he likes me not

jjk fushiguro megumi x fem!reader

all megumi fushiguro does is apologize when he rejects you. everything changes because of your confession.

content: angst, fluff if you squint, all characters aged up to 17-18!!!, misunderstandings, confessions, eventual relationship!, megumi is so bad at feelings, ooc megumi a little sorry, takes place at jujutsu tech high school and shibuya has NEVER happened so life is good, yuji and nobara are your besties

wc: 5.1k

click on my masterlist for more!

“i like you.”

for a moment, the world stills. everything comes to a halt.

megumi is sitting across from you at your favorite cafe, just down the street from tokyo jujutsu high, the school you’ve been attending for nearly two years now.

in that short amount of time, you’ve grown into a person you think the past you would’ve liked. you’re taller now, more fit and lean. you’ve got bounds of experience from your missions piled on your shoulders, the unwavering burden of being a jujutsu sorcerer making itself at home.

you’ve grown in other ways, too. you’re stronger now, you’ve got a good hold on your emotions. you haven’t seen your parents in months, but the sting doesn’t hurt anymore. you’re wiser. older. you’ve got a handle on your feelings.

then there’s megumi fushiguro.

oh, how enamored you’d been.

he’d spared no glance when he first met you. you had trudged into the classroom, eyes darting at the unfamiliar faces. gojo satoru, the undeniably handsome teacher of yours, introduced you brightly albeit the low energy of the room.

you had weaved your way into the jujutsu world, just as you had been able to slither your way into the lives of your newfound friends.

but megumi, oh, megumi fushiguro.

it had taken you laborious months to befriend the raven haired boy. his uninviting attitude hindered your relationship with him for some time, and you had half-heartedly decided to pursue something else, but your near death experience during a particularly difficult mission with him had sent him reeling. he had held onto you the entire time you cried for your mother.

you don’t talk about that day. he doesn’t mention it, either.

“what?” his eyes, dark blue, blink in surprise. his lips are parted slightly. “what did you say?”

your throat constricts. then, the words flow: “i’m in love with you.”

love. it’s too strong of a word. you’re not even quite sure what it means, or if what you feel is actually love.

the cafe begins to bustle with life again. the barista from behind the counter steams some milk—almond—and she glances up at a customer approaching. the music from the overhead speakers filters it’s way softly into your ears. it’s a cheesy love song, and you can’t help but feel like it isn’t the right time for that.

“are you serious?” he says, almost spitting out his drink.

“i mean,” you shrug, “yeah? i wouldn’t bring you all the way out here to fuck with you.”

he blinks again. his lashes flutter perfectly. it’s annoying how perfect he is. there’s a slight hue of pink to his cheeks, but not enough to confirm anything—just speculation.

“i’m sorry,” he begins, breathing it out all in one go. “i’m really sorry.”

if you’re being honest with yourself, you’d seen it coming from a mile away; megumi fushiguro is different. he’s got the composure of a brick wall. the perpetual frown on his face never, ever leaves, not even when he’s with you. he doesn’t crack, doesn’t shake. his soul is hardened from things that he’ll never speak of with you.

“it’s okay,” you say, but it’s not.

you’ve changed—grown into a person you’re proud of, but you’re still stuck sometimes. you’re still a pushover. still just a small shrimp in the vast ocean. still apologizing for your existence.

“i’m sorry,” megumi repeats.

you know he’s apologetic, that he really means it, just from the way his brows furrow slightly. you know him too well for your own good. you don’t think he can say the same about you.

“it’s fine.” your voice breaks. you duck your head in embarrassment. rejection has never hurt you this badly. “you don’t have to apologize for not liking me back. it’s not your fault.”

you wonder why you’re comforting him when he’s the one who has ripped your heart out completely.

“i’m gonna head back,” he mumbles out, hesitating to reach out and dab away your tears with the napkin he’s been wringing around his thin fingers. “you… should come, too.”

you shake your head. “i think i’m gonna finish my coffee.”

he offers a smile. “you can finish mine as well, if you’d like.”

“nah,” you say, scrunching your nose through watery eyes, “black coffee isn’t really my thing.”

“yeah.” his laugh is soft, almost forced, but you can tell it’s genuine. “i know.”

oh, you think. it really hurts.

he knows.

something inside you snaps. your lungs feel itchy. your ribs squeeze. you think that it would’ve been easier to never say anything at all.

megumi leaves the store. the jingle of the bell above the frame rings through the air. you’re left with your cold cup of coffee and megumi’s cup across from you.

the barista gives you a look of pity. you chug down your drink and chug his, too.

it’s bitter.

-☆

megumi arrives to his dorm exactly five minutes after four pm. he slips off his sweater and changes into a pair of sweatpants and a loose t-shirt. his mind is blank, except for the image of your teary eyes.

he swallows nervously. maybe he’ll sleep it off.

“yo, megumi.” yuji slams himself against the door impatiently. “how’d it go?”

megumi sighs, the irritation swiftly making its way into his fatigued body. he opens the door and yuji tumbles in without an invitation.

“what are you talking about?” megumi mutters with another sigh.

“the confession,” yuji says matter-of-factly.

megumi stares. “you knew?”

yuji’s smile slowly removes itself from his lips. “…yeah? it was pretty obvious.”

“what was obvious?”

“that she likes you…?” yuji tilts his head. “and you like her back, right? so i figured you guys would be all cuddled up in here.”

megumi doesn’t say anything. the gears in yuji’s head begin to turn as he looks around the room, noticing the comfy attire megumi has on.

“you said that you liked her back… right?” he raises an eyebrow. “because it’s not a secret that you do.”

“i left.”

“you left her there?!”

“i didn’t know what else to do.”

“so you said ‘yes, i’d like to be your boyfriend’ and then dipped out on her?”

“i didn’t say yes.”

yuji pauses. he looks at megumi, then at the made bed, then back at megumi.

“for fuck’s sake,” he groans, running his hands through his pink hair. “i’m gonna go.”

megumi stands there, appalled. the door is shut harshly and the hinges squeak. he’ll have to scold yuji about that later. for now, he wants to take a nap.

maybe he’ll feel better about everything when he wakes up.

-☆

on the other side of the building reserved for dorms, yuji crosses his way into the girls’ section. it still feels wrong no matter how many times he’s made this trip before.

he meets you on the way there. you’re dragging your feet, headphones strapped on your head, and lips quivering.

“hey,” he calls out, tapping your shoulder. “you okay?”

he waits until you hang the silver headphones on your neck. they’re megumi’s, he realizes as he sees the fading stickers on the metal plate.

“hm?”

“you okay?” he asks again. his eyes scan you for any signs of distress, and he can practically see it radiating off of you.

“yeah,” you hum, “i’m cool.”

“want me to grab nobara?” he suggests with a grin.

“sure,” you say.

the sun feels hot on your back. you hate the way the school is so widespread for having such a small population.

“i can grab some ice cream,” yuji rambles. “and i’ll get us a notebook so we can write shitty things about megumi.”

you pat him on his back, but his sturdy body almost sends you flying backwards. he catches your wrist just before you fall, and he’s laughing at your expression with glee.

“you’re so funny,” he says through his fit of laughter. “you’ve gotten scrawnier. you needa eat more! i’ll get us snacks, too.”

you pout. “shut up, yuji. not everyone can be as buff as you and todo.”

“oh, todo is a whole different story.”

“tell me about it,” you say, playfully rolling your eyes. “i’ve seen him beat you up into a pulp.”

“hey! in my defense,” yuji says, his hands coming up to the sides of his ears, “i couldn’t do much against him!”

you’re nearing nobara’s dorm, which is right across from your own. you like how homey hers is compared to yours. she’s got a knack for interior design, or so she claims.

she swings the door open the moment you reach the inside of the building. you’re halfway down the hall when she sticks her head out from the frame of her room. her black roots are showing more than usual.

“how was it?” she asks once you’re close enough so that she can whisper.

you want to tell her that there’s no point in keeping it a secret. you had told yuji about your feelings far before you even mentioned to her, mainly because yuji had been your first friend at jujutsu high. megumi isn’t here, either, so there’s no reason to whisper when everyone knows.

“bad,” is all you reply with.

her eyes soften a considerable amount, an expression you’ve never seen on her face before. she takes a small breath and pulls you into her room by your arm.

you’re met with her fragrances, vanilla and strawberry—a nobara kugisaki signature scent. she had begged gojo to buy her shelves to place her k-pop albums on and sure enough, the white furniture stands proud at the far corner of the room. there are fake vines hanging from her ceiling right above her desk, where she has an organizer messily places over a few books.

“you wanna dye your hair?” she jokes, looking back at you. “my roots are coming in so we might as well dye yours while we touch up mine.”

“is orange all you have?” yuji’s nose twitches. “i don’t think she’d look good in orange.”

“gee, thanks,” you sarcastically respond.

“sorry.”

nobara clicks her tongue. “wanna unpack?”

“kinda,” you say, your body going limp once you’re at the foot of her bed. you sprawl yourself on the silky sheets and stare up at the ceiling.

“get out, yuji,” nobara demands. she doesn’t even acknowledge his downturned lips.

“i know everything already!” he whines. he shuts the door behind him with much more care than he had with megumi’s.

“still!” she insists. “i wanna have a girls’ talk.”

“i’m one of the girls.” he crosses his arms.

nobara’s shoulders sag. “fine, but you need to go buy ice cream.”

“was planning on that already,” yuji replies. he taps quickly at his phone, presumably asking gojo for his credit card.

when yuji leaves the room, he promises that he’ll get your favorite flavor. once nobara senses that his presence is completely gone, she turns to look at you.

“i’m sorry for making you confess,” she whispers. her tone is comforting, genuine, soft. she takes you into her arms and squeezes your shoulders. “i really thought he liked you back.”

“it’s not your fault,” you reply earnestly. “i chose to do it out of my own selfish feelings.”

“you can cry,” she says, patting your head. at times like this, nobara seems years wiser than you are. her touch is warm.

you bite your lower lip. “don’t wanna. i think i’ll be fine.”

“okay,” she says, and you feel her chest vibrate with the word. “you’re allowed to cry, though. megumi would’ve been a shitty boyfriend, anyway.”

all you can do is let out a watery laugh. you don’t tell her that he would’ve been an amazing lover. he would’ve taken you out on dates at your favorite places because he’s observant like that. he would’ve known your favorite foods, though he knows them even as friends. he would’ve kissed you tenderly because that’s the type of boy he is. he’s the type to love carefully, like he’s afraid he’ll lose someone forever if he doesn’t.

“i’m up for dyeing your hair,” nobara pipes up after the silence that penetrates the room. “yuji’s right, though… i don’t think orange would suit you… ha.”

you giggle. “let’s just touch up yours, yeah?”

yuji’s footsteps can be heard from outside the door when you’re a third of the way done with nobara’s roots. she complains about how long he’d taken, but there’s no real malice in her voice. he explains that he had ran into trouble obtaining gojo’s card (“i had to beg him for it!”).

the ice cream is all melted. it’s gooey and delicious and makes you smile. as you look around your friends, your crinkled eyes say more words than you ever could.

“you’re welcome,” yuji says into your ear. “you don’t have to thank us for any of this.”

-☆

the next morning comes by quicker than you want it to. you mentally prepare yourself for seeing megumi in class at eight in the morning. you haven’t made a mistake as bad as confessing your dying, unrequited love on a wednesday afternoon quite like this before.

nobara had suggested walking with you the night before, but you’d sternly told her that you could handle it. looking back, maybe you should’ve agreed with her offer.

megumi isn’t in class when you come in. he’s usually there at least five minutes before gojo starts teaching. something inside you tells you it’s because of yesterday—as much as you hate to admit it.

he walks in through the sliding doors a few minutes late, but gojo pays him no attention. megumi has privileges like that—at least, with gojo. he’s practically your teacher’s son, and though you’ve never heard of the full story, you’re well aware of gojo’s slight favoritism.

the class is short. all jujutsu sorcery classes are. they mainly consist of typical real school lessons, only because under the law, jujutsu tech is still a high school. the other, much bigger portion of class with gojo is focused on maintaining cursed energy and providing yourself with the best possible victory in battle.

when it’s over, you don’t know if you should be relieved or upset. you won’t be able to see megumi after this, assuming that he’ll avoid you for a good month or two. however, you think you’d rather die than attempt to make conversation with him.

“don’t do anything stupid,” gojo warns, signaling the end of class.

you hear yuji snicker quietly and say, “yeah, nobara.”

the bickering brings a smile to your lips. from the corner of your eye, megumi shifts in his seat.

you decide that it’s best to let the feelings marinate, as stupid as it sounds. it’s an infinitely better choice than moping around and begging megumi for a chance. you may be soft, but you’ve got pride.

“see you guys,” you announce, more to yourself than to anyone.

“alright,” yuji calls after you, “see you later.”

you can’t help but feel a little disappointed with the lack of clinging when it comes to you. your absence doesn’t seem to cause a ruckus like it does for most people. you wonder if it had been yuji retiring early; would everyone else ask him to stay a minute longer?

that’s how life is for a while.

you attend class, spar a little, and sleep. some days you go out into the city with nobara. you avoid the cafe, even though it’s your favorite. perhaps it’s because you’re still embarrassed by megumi’s rejection. on other, slower days, gojo takes you all on outings because he’s basically everyone’s replacement father.

it’s still as tense as ever between you and megumi.

the boy doesn’t make any effort to reach out. you don’t blame him, though you should. he steals small glances at you, particularly when you’re smiling and forget to cover your teeth with your hands. that’s all he takes from you, and he can’t be the only guilty one, because that’s all you give.

on this day, gojo takes you all out to the fair. it’s annual, taking place in the beginning of summer, and it’s a great way to practice forming barriers and such. the fairs always bring out a few nasty curses that need to be exorcised—the four of you are already used to being dragged out here for that sole purpose.

as if gojo knows, he sends you out in pairs. of course, you’re paired with megumi fushiguro. at first, you open your mouth to reject gojo’s demand, but you notice the way megumi doesn’t seem to care and your resolve hardens.

“it’s really awkward around you guys.” gojo pretends to act busy, flicking something from his nails. he’s got his sunglasses on and the ladies around him fawn.

“huh?” you and megumi look at him with accusing glares.

“is something going on between the two of you?”

“no,” you say almost entirely too quickly.

“right,” he drawls, a smirk forming on his face. “anyway, good luck out there. get rid of the little ones and then—i don’t know/-meet up with yuji and nobara if there are gross ones that’ll kill you.”

megumi nods. “okay.”

“this was what i was talking about,” gojo mutters as he walks off. “it’s soooo awkward…”

megumi gives you an apologetic look. “for the record, i don’t think it’s awkward.”

“it’s fine,” you say. you find that you’ve been pardoning him quite a lot. “you don’t have to lie.”

his face flushes. “i’m not.”

“i confessed to you and you don’t like me back, so there’s really no need to tiptoe around it anymore,” you rush out. “just treat me like normal. i don’t really care.”

he looks hurt, and you want to laugh.

you discover that, in those days of being alone, you’d rather megumi treat you like a friend again than be completely ignored. at least then, you’d have a part of him. at least then, he’s not slipping through the cracks of your heart, becoming a distant memory.

you want him to be anything but a memory.

“you want me to treat you like normal…?” he repeats your words. he paces himself just a few steps behind you when you begin to walk away from the conversation. “what does that mean?”

“i think you know what being friends is like,” you attempt to joke, but it comes out harsher than intended.

the fair is getting more crowded by the second. the shopkeepers are yelling out cheap deals and there are children that snake in and out of the lines of people. paper lanterns are hung at the front of tents to attract foreigners—it seems to be working because there are more people surrounding shops with lanterns than without.

megumi takes a breath. “how could i do that?”

your steps falter. “what do you mean?”

“how can i go on to treat you like normal,” he says softly, “when i know you’re in love with me?”

you bite the inside of your cheek and taste blood. “i don’t know. you’ve done it before without knowing my feelings. you can do it all over again, right?”

you look over your shoulder to see his lips part. he’s given up on the cool-guy persona. his vulnerability begins to show through the dents in his personality.

“you’re saying that you’ve liked me for that long?”

“yeah,” you admit. something about this is more freeing than you could’ve imagine. “i think i always have.”

a man shoves himself into you. he’s older with a beer belly and a scruffy beard attached to his face. he barks at you to move out of the way as he drags his young daughter through the sea of people. megumi’s warm hands come to rest on your waist, pulling you aside and closer to his toned chest.

you do your best to ignore your beating heart.

“i’m not,” megumi starts shakily, “lovable. i don’t know why you like me.”

your body goes cold. it's even worse than when he'd rejected you.

“curse,” you say, detaching his hand from your body. “i feel it around the back alley.”

the night ends. nothing is solved. you go to bed and curl into yourself.

-☆

loving megumi is weird. there’s an odd sense of comfort to it, like you’ve known him for longer than you actually have. he makes you feel safe even though he's gruff and a little mean about it. maybe that's just part of his charm, though, because it makes you love him even more.

he seems to have taken your words seriously; he starts to treat you like normal again. he doesn't avoid you anymore, and the obvious tension surrounding you two has disappeared for now. he lets you take a few of his sweaters when you forget to do your laundry and he buys you your favorite snacks sometimes.

it gets to be too much. you almost wish he'd go back to ignoring you. the grass is always greener on the other side.

summer goes by slowly. it's the prime time for bad feelings to manifest into curses. you push away your lingering feelings, convincing yourself that you've gotten over it. it's been more than enough time now, coming up on two months since you've confessed. you don't want your resentment, if you can call it that, to form any bad curses—you'd hate for them to be attached to megumi. that'd be a burden too hard to carry.

a few missions involve partnering up with megumi. gojo thinks you two work well together; there's a sort of synergy that you have with each other that is hard to come by sorcerers nowadays. you don't mind the compliments, or at least you pretend you don't.

the missions aren't difficult, but maybe that's because you've grown stronger. megumi has, too.

summer passes. it still hurts.

"you're confusing me," you whisper.

you and megumi are shopping for a surprise birthday party that gojo is forcing you guys to throw for nanami kento, a good coworker of his. you've met him more than once, and you're not really sure if he'd appreciate such a last minute party. regardless, you and megumi are tasked with finding enough balloons to fill the poor man's office.

megumi doesn't allow you to hold any of the bags. he lies and tells you that it's out of habit—nobara makes him carry her shopping bags every time they go out—but you know he's doing it just because he wants to. you're perfectly strong enough to carry a few paper bags, and he doesn't carry nobara's bags like he claims he does. megumi doesn't even go shopping with her unless yuji's there and even then, yuji holds the bags.

"sorry?"

"why are you doing this?" you refuse to look at him.

"doing what?"

"this," you say, gesturing at the two of you. "why do you act like we're close enough to do this?"

you cringe at yourself, aware of how hypocritical you're being. you had wanted this, wanted him to go back to being a friend, to treat you like he had before you went and ruined everything. why are you angry? why do your eyes well up with tears as he steps closer to you?

"we aren't close?" he asks. his arms fall to his side.

passerbys give you curious glances. he takes off his sweater, the one he always wears depsite it being humid out, and wraps it around you. the paper bags filled with confetti and paper plates are set down by your feet. he pulls the hood over your head to hide your wet eyes.

"we are," you mumble out sorely, "but not like this."

"i'm sorry," he says, and you're brought all the way back to the day you had told him about just how much you liked him.

"'s not your fault." you sound like you're trying to convince yourself and not him. "i'm being an asshole. you can forget about this."

you don't want him to feel guilty. he can't help how he feels, after all. you don't want him forcing himself to love you.

"what you said that day," he coughs out. the bags crinkle as he lifts them from the pavement. he continues, "what did you mean by 'always'?"

you squeeze your eyes shut and he pauses next to you. you can feel his soft gaze on you and you're glad you can hide behind his sweater, the cloth draping over you like an oversized blanket.

"i don't know..." you tilt your head up to look at him. he looks like the boy you think you'll always love. "i think i was doomed from the start."

"doomed?" he says, a little amused. "loving me is dooming? how sweet of you."

you need to remind yourself that he's not playing with your heart; this is how he copes—and how you cope, too. he must know you better than you had thought.

you nearly scoff. "it's because you're you. you're so good at being you that it hurts."

megumi slows. you hadn’t even noticed that he'd been guiding you down the sidewalk the entire time until now.

"i think it applies to me, too," he say quietly.

"what?"

"'always' applies to me, too." the clarification does nothing to settle your nerves.

"i don't understand," you blurt.

he gives you a look, as if to say, "really?", but he keeps talking, "i think i'm used to this feeling because it's always been there."

"what feeling?"

he shrugs. "you pissed me off when i first met you. you're really stupid, you know?"

your face morphs into an irritated expression. "thanks. you're pretty great yourself."

he laughs and it sounds like music to your ears. "i wasn't finished, dummy."

"sorry."

"you're pretty... a lot more than you think you are," he admits shyly, "and i guess that annoyed me because i kept feeling all weird around you. i got used to it, i think—that weird feeling. but it's always been here. it never left."

you stumble, tripping over your feet at megumi's statment. you don't want to interpret it the wrong way, but with how he's looking at you, you can't help but maybe think that he likes you too.

"this isn't how i wanted to tell you, but," he breathes in sharply, "i don't like it when you cry."

it's awkward. perhaps a little funny, if you really look at it, but it's megumi and you can't hate him. you'll never find it in yourself to truly hate him.

nanami's surprise birthday party isn't much of a surprise. though gojo nor nanami say it, you all know yuji is a favorite of theirs, and no one is surprised when yuji says that he had accidentally revealed the party a few hours prior.

gojo has fun. even shoko, who never shows up to any of these events because of her busy schedule as a doctor, seems to enjoy herself. nanami pretends like he's not entertained, but he has on a fond smile that looks weirdly similar to the way megumi smiles. you're all old enough to party now, as gojo puts it, so it's a little less like a classroom celebration and more like a familial one.

it's the third of july, nearly two months and a half after your confession, when megumi hints that he feels the same way about you.

you don't know what to make of it.

-☆

"i like you."

you're in the middle of getting ready to go out with nobara and her favorite upperclassman, maki, when megumi tells you he likes you back. your eyes widen and the mascara you've just finished putting on smears on your lid.

megumi hands you a makeup wipe as if he's done it a million times before. (he hasn't, but he just knows.)

"w-what?" you stutter out, your breath catching in your throat.

"it took me a while to figure that out," he says.

he's flat on your bed, covering his face with his arm. his t-shirt rises with each of his nervous movements. according to the rules set by gojo, he shouldn't even be here in your dorm. he shouldn't be on your bed and listening to your playlist through your shitty speaker gifted to you by yuji.

"are you joking around?"

"what?" he sits up and turns to you, frowning. "why would you think that?"

"is this you pitying me?"

"i just," he sighs, frustrated, "i needed to tell you before i chickened out. i meant what i said the other day, you know?"

"about you getting 'used to' the strange feeling?"

he nods and then slouches back against your pillows. if it had been any other day, you would've felt shy about sleeping in his scent.

"yeah," he says, running his slender fingers through his jet black hair. "i really did mean it. i think i just—i don't know—pushed you away because i was afraid."

you've given up on applying your makeup by now. your hands are shaking too much, anyway.

"i'm scared sometimes, too," you reply, catching his eyes in the reflection of your vanity mirror.

you see the side of his lips turn upwards. he looks as handsome as ever. he's gotten older since the first time you met him, and it hits you harder now that he's on your bed, his features sharp and his body lanky and tall. there's a sort of intimacy that you sense between the two of you.

"i'm not afraid anymore." his legs swing over the bedframe and he easily reaches the ground even though your bed is raised. "i'll be brave for the both of us."

oh.

"what do you think?" he tilts his head.

you stay home that night.

-☆

"so are you guys dating now?" yuji exclaims.

you both freeze.

"fuck off," megumi says instead of answering the question.

"god," yuji huffs out. "finally! all those peptalks and you don't even tell me that you got the girl?"

megumi blushes from beside you. neither of you had expected yuji to be awake to witness you two watching the sunrise on the hill beside the school.

"you know," yuji grumbles, "it took a lot of convincing to have you realize that you've been in love this entire time, megumi. the least you could've done was tell me."

megumi ignores him and snuggles further into you.

"why are you up so early?" you ask, shuffling underneath the blanket that is covering you and your boyfriend.

"instinct." yuji's shoulders drop, defeated. "'k, i'm gonna leave you guys to be romantic and shit up here. have fun explaining this to nobara later."

nobara almost wrings your neck out when she catches megumi holding your hand that saturday morning. she tells him that he needs to make up for the months he left you feeling sad. he says he's already forgiven, and he's not wrong (because you're weak when it comes to him, just like he's weak when it comes to you).

you think that you would've chose to love him no matter the outcome. loving him is easy like that.

a/n: oh my god. this was a word dump and not proofread. i am so sorry this took forever to come out but i ended up changing the plot like a billion times cus it wasn't good enough.. LOL. hope u enjoyed this!!! thx for making me write more megumi because i love writing him (he's been my fave character since the anime came out three years ago hehehe). ngl it was kinda rushed bc i wanted to get this out but i think it turned out fine!!!! ok thx once again ily muah xx

it's a sign of the times

Pairing: Sebastian Sallow x f!MC

Rating: PG

Word Count: 3.2K

Summary: request [paraphrased]: "Rivals-to-lovers Sebastian and MC use a Time-Turner to travel to the future with Ominis in search for a cure for Anne. Instead they find a girl who's the spitting image of MC trying to sneak into the Restricted Section in the 1910s, only she has freckles like Sebastian..."

the 'verse continues in "the train ain't even left the station" [AO3]

“Anne-Marie Sallow!” she calls out. “Just where do you think you’re going?” At once, the three of you freeze. “Did she say ‘Sallow?’” hisses Ominis. “Did I hear that right?” “I – no. No,” Sebastian stammers. “There’s no way that’s what she said.”

“Can you please remind me again why I’m even a part of this harebrained scheme?” you ask for at least the third time.

You’re crouched around a small table in one of the far corners of the upper section of the Library. It’s well past curfew, but since you aren’t technically breaking any rules by avoiding the Restricted Section, you’re currently getting away with your loitering, as do most students who are caught studying after hours this close to final exams.

Only, you’re not studying. You’ve been summoned there by Ominis, who despite being your closest friend at Hogwarts is also a conniving, duplicitous liar who neglected to tell you that this whole thing is Sebastian’s idea.

You watch warily as he turns over a contraband Time-Turner in his hands, inspecting its impossibly small dials and knobs. The golden sands inside the hourglass hypnotically shift back and forth while he reads over its inscriptions and consults the guidebook he’d smuggled out of the Restricted Section earlier that same day.

You have no idea where he managed to get the device – perhaps in one of those vaults along the coast in Cragcroftshire that he’d been exploring during the summer term. However, now he’s got it in his head that perhaps the reason you haven’t been able to heal Anne is that the cure to her curse simply hasn’t been invented yet. Therefore, a quick jaunt several years into the future ought to reveal a way to rid Anne of her illness (and maybe even earn his way back into her good graces).

It’s not the first ludicrous and impractical idea he’s had in the past year, nor will it be the last, but it’s certainly one of the more radical ones.

“Merlin’s beard, I’ve already told you,” Sebastian sighs. “Since we’re going forward in time rather than back, this is an unauthorized use, and in case we get stuck in the future, we might need your ancient magic.”

“So I’m an insurance policy?!” you demand.

“Not so much for Sebastian as for me,” Ominis answers plainly. “He thinks he’s got it all sorted out, but I’m not as sure.”

“I know what I’m doing,” Sebastian interjects.

You huff and roll your eyes. “Need I remind you that using a Time-Turner to go forward is expressly forbidden by the Ministry? It’s only to go back.”

“Loads of people have done it, though,” he argues. “I’ve been reading all about it, it’s well-documented.”

“And they’ve all come back to the present?” you demand.

“Yes,” he snaps. “...For the most part.”

You scoff. Unbelievable.

“Do you two honestly think my magic is just an unlimited get-out-of-Azkaban-free pass?” you hiss. “I have no idea how to manipulate time and space. If we get stuck there, we’re stuck there.”

“I’m sure you’ll figure something out like you always do,” Sebastian mutters distractedly as he fiddles with the Time-Turner.

You glance at Ominis pleadingly and he just shrugs.

“You know we can’t let him go alone, we’ll never get him back,” Ominis reasons.

“Is that such a bad thing?” you grumble.

Sebastian shoots you a warning look before he holds up the Time-Turner for the both of you to inspect.

“I have it set to jump forward twenty years,” he explains. “We’ll have to get cozy before we go, as we’ve all got to be wearing it. Physically, we’ll land precisely where we are now, at the same time of day.”

“What if the layout of the Library changes?” you ask skeptically.

“The castle hasn’t changed in centuries,” Ominis points out. “Compared to its history, two decades is indeed quite short.”

“...Fine,” you finally mumble. “Go on, then. Let’s get this over with.”

The three of you stand in a tight circle in a spot tucked away behind some shelves, hoping to remain hidden there after you make the jump forward in time. Sebastian drapes the thin gold chain connected to the Time-Turner around the three of you; it even seems to stretch and extend in length to fit. Then he murmurs a brief incantation to the enchanted timepiece and spins the innermost piece a whopping twenty times.

Your stomach lurches while it turns over and the world around you seems to spin out of control, almost like one of those Muggle carousel rides you saw once as a child. You can barely make out years and years of students and professors walking around you – through you, even – and countless books sliding on and off the shelves until everything comes to a sudden halt and you fall straight to the floor.

Ominis and Sebastian tumble with you, winded.

“That felt bizarre,” Ominis wheezes. “Where are we? Did we travel anywhere?”

“N-no,” Sebastian breathes. “Everything else just… traveled around us.”

You glance around the Library and see that as Ominis had suggested, it looks largely the same. There are some newer books among those you recognize on the shelves, their spines less creased and dyed with more vibrant colors than those of your time.

One title jumps out at you: Advances in Practical Conjuring, 1900-1910

We’re in the 1910s, you think bewilderedly. We’re in a new century.

Mercifully, the layout of the library seems to be largely unchanged. Rows and rows of dimly lit stacks stretch along the length of the grand room with two winding spiral staircases leading down to the lower level.

Once you catch your breath, the three of you cast Disillusionment on yourselves and huddle together to make your way downstairs to the Restricted Section. Ominis leads the way with his wand extended to search for any lingering students or restless ghosts, having long since proven that his spatial awareness bests both yours and Sebastian’s even without his sight.

Your trio makes it downstairs and past the first row of shelves before Ominis stops in his tracks. Sebastian collides with him and then you knock into Sebastian, causing you both to hiss some choice words at each other.

“What’s going on?” you demand in a whisper.

“Someone just came in,” Ominis explains. “The librarian is at the desk and she hasn’t noticed, but a student is coming down the stairs.”

Sure enough, across the room you see a faint flicker of light and can just barely make out the outline of a small student sneaking down the main stairs – must be a young one, you think, no more than thirteen.

“I think it’s a girl,” you offer. “I can see her just over there.”

“What’s she doing?” Sebastian whispers.

“I’m not sure yet,” Ominis says carefully. “She’s past the desk, the librarian didn’t see – oh, for Merlin’s sake.”

“What is it?” you breathe.

“She’s going straight for the Restricted Section,” Ominis mutters. “Just our luck, I suppose.”

The three of you remain crouched behind the shelf while you watch the girl creep ever closer to your hiding spot. You’re panicking inside your head, wondering what possible seams of the universe might immediately be torn to shreds if she were to spot the three of you, but thankfully she seems single-minded in her mission to gain access to the locked collection of books across the room from you.

“She’s tiny,” Sebastian snorts. “I suppose the young ones are even more bold in the future.”

“Weren’t you about her age when you first started to sneak into the Restricted Section?” Ominis reminds him.

Sebastian insists, “No, I was fourteen. I didn’t go in until Anne was attacked. She’s got to be twelve at most, maybe even a first year.”

“Will you two be quiet?” you hiss. “She’s going to hear you!”

Across the room, the Disillusioned girl pulls a key out of the pocket of her robes and starts to insert it into the lock. A girl her age wouldn’t have mastered Alohomora yet, you think, nor would it be effective on this kind of lock. You have no idea how she managed to get a copy of the key, however.

“Do you suppose we could just go in after her?” Sebastian proposes. “She’s nearly got it open, we should take advantage of that.”

“Are you mad?” you scoff. “We can’t be in there at the same time, we’ll get caught!”

“So what if some little girl from the future sees us?” Sebastian argues. “Why wouldn’t she believe we’re just students from her time doing our own research?”

But before you can further explain to Sebastian how astonishingly stupid that idea is, the girl across the room gasps softly and drops her key to the floor. In front of her, the lock is glowing red as if it’s searing hot.

That’s a new security development from your time, you think. It’s rather lucky the three of you didn’t discover that the hard way.

Immediately, the young librarian leaps from her seat and hustles across the room to the Restricted Section’s gated entrance much faster than Madam Scribner ever would have.

“Hang on…” you say under your breath. “Is that – that’s Sophronia!”

“Who?” Ominis asks.

“Sophronia Franklin, she’s a fourth-year in our time,” you explain distractedly. “She’s always lingering in the library, of course she takes over for Scribner once we finish school.”

“I know her,” Sebastian chimes in. “Tried to get me to play a game of trivia in exchange for returning a book on curse breaking I’d been waiting for. Rather precocious, I thought.”

You glare at Sebastian and he merely rolls his eyes.

“I didn’t mean it in a flirtatious way, I was referring to her choice in books,” he grumbles. “Merlin, you’re protective of her.”

“She’s a sweet girl,” you murmur, appreciative of the fact that Sebastian can’t see you blushing. Truthfully, you don’t think much about Sophronia these days, other than that she absolutely cannot catch the three of you in her Library as she’ll easily understand what you’re up to.

Before you can try to convince the boys to call it quits and return to the present, Sophronia rounds the corner and the girl’s Disillusionment charm melts away in surprise.

“Anne-Marie Sallow!” she calls out. “Just where do you think you’re going?”

At once, the three of you freeze.

“Did she say ‘Sallow?’” hisses Ominis. “Did I hear that right?”

“I – no. No,” Sebastian stammers. “There’s no way that’s what she said.”

“Apologies, Madam,” you hear the girl say with a cheeky lilt to her voice. “I was just looking for a book for my aunt, that’s all.”

Just then, Sophronia leans down to pick up the dropped key and all three of you catch a glimpse of the young girl’s face. She’s probably around twelve, like Sebastian had guessed, but her face… Merlin, she could be your younger sister.

Her slightly-upturned nose is nearly identical to yours, only she’s got a small smattering of freckles across hers. Then there’s her chin, which juts out just a bit like yours does, and you’re too far away to make out the color of her eyes but you’re positive that they’re almond-shaped just like your own.

Now that you think about it, her hair is tied back like you always did with yours when you were younger – braided with a green bow at the end, only her hair is a rich, warm brown color.

“...Is that you?” Sebastian asks softly. “How. How are you doing this?”

“That’s not me, I’m right here,” you remind him.

“Hold on, what am I missing?” Ominis whispers.

“That girl looks exactly like this one,” Sebastian insists. “She’s got her nose, her eyes, her face shape. It’s like there’s a second-year version of her, standing right across from us.”

“We’re twenty years into the future,” Ominis reminds you both. “...What if she’s your daughter?”

You feel like the room is starting to spin around you again, and you find yourself pitching to the side before Sebastian quickly tugs on your arm and pulls you back behind the shelf.

“Do not go daft on us now,” he mutters. “I don’t care if that is your daughter–”

“She’s your daughter too, you know,” Ominis chimes in. “In case you were wondering.”

“Wh… What?” Sebastian stutters, and Ominis gestures for the two of you to listen in.

“Goodness, Miss Sallow,” Sophronia sighs. “You really are so much like your father, always sneaking into the Restricted Section.”

You watch as the girl puffs up her chest proudly, a mischievous smirk on her face that doesn’t strike you as particularly like you at all – but rather Sebastian.

“I’ll gladly take that as a compliment, Madam Franklin,” Anne-Marie says.

“While I respect that you are both voracious consumers of knowledge, he, like you, had little respect for the rules of the Restricted Section,” Sophronia continues. “I’ll have to ask you to leave until you get permission from a professor for relevant research or turn fifteen.”

Anne-Marie is still arguing with the librarian as she’s being escorted out. “Perhaps if you would just let me borrow the book for a while–”

“I’m afraid I’ll also have to give you detention this time,” Sophronia interjects. “I can’t keep looking the other way simply because I owe your mother a favor. This is the third time this term!”

Anne-Marie huffs and folds her arms. “But my godfather–”

“Your godfather is a very busy man who would undoubtedly appreciate it if you spent more time staying out of trouble,” Sophronia finishes, “than trying to emulate your father. In fact, I think Ominis would agree with me that one Sebastian Sallow in this world is quite enough!”

Well, that certainly clears things up.

Sophoronia marches Anne-Marie up the stairs and out of the library. The three of you, having already forgotten your original mission, put your heads together without a word so Sebastian can drape the Time-Turner around your necks and return you to the present.

You collapse in a heap on the library floor, but this time it’s fully empty – even the librarian’s desk light is extinguished. You sit in silence for a few moments, and you and Sebastian don’t dare look at each other. Eventually you force yourself to stand and offer Ominis a hand up, steadfastly ignoring the other boy.

“So,” Ominis finally says, barely concealing his smile. “When exactly is it, do you suppose, that the two of you fall hopelessly in love with each other?”

You both curse at him at the same time, and Ominis throws back his head and laughs.

“Shout at me all you want, but that little girl is proof that the two of you are destined for each other,” he crows. “Oh, how brilliant!”

“Come now, Ominis,” Sebastian says with a nervous laugh. “You don’t seriously think that girl is, what… our child or something?”

“That’s precisely what I think,” Ominous answers, smirking. “You said it yourself, she looks exactly like her mother.”

“Stop!” you interject. “I’m not anyone’s mother, in case you forgot.”

“Perhaps not yet,” Ominis agrees primly. “I imagine it will be several more years before Sebastian makes you one.”

Sebastian goes deeply red while you sputter indignantly.

“Thats – that’s foul, Ominis,” you insist. “It’s untoward to even be talking about this!”

Sebastian folds his arms and raises an eyebrow. “Really? You’re that offended by the very idea of us having a child together? I’m hurt.”

“W-well, I just meant that we shouldn’t talk about things that haven’t yet come to pass,” you explain nervously. “Besides, all that is years away. Decades, even.”

Sebastian glances sidelong at you, and you wonder if you’re imagining the way he looks you up and down.

“Right,” he says slowly. “It’s not like we know anything for sure, obviously.”

“Of course,” you agree. “...I don’t suppose you have any other family members named Sebastian? Distant relatives, perhaps?”

“Why?” he drawls. “Looking to snag a cousin of mine so I won’t be the one to father your children?”

You shove him right into one of the bookshelves, but he laughs like he doesn’t regret it one bit.

“Now now,” Ominis murmurs. “You ought to be kind to your future husband, you don’t want to damage his virility.”

“I have half a mind to put a dent in Sebastian’s virility right here and now to save me some trouble later,” you reply, casually aiming your wand at his groin.

“Have you gone mad?!” he stammers as he takes several steps backward. “Put that thing away!”

“Oh, will you please relax?” you sigh. “We just saw one of your descendants, your ability to procreate is in no danger.”

“You could still put me in the Hospital Wing,” he sulks. “Besides, it’s not just procreation that I use it for.”

Ominis snorts. “Unfortunately, I am intimately aware of that.”

You make a face while Sebastian grins cheekily, offering no apology.

The three of you start to make your way toward the exit into Central Hall, ignoring the weak protests of the prefects stationed outside. As you make your way back toward the Slytherin common room, you all fall silent again, lost in your thoughts.

You aren’t sure how you’re supposed to forget what you saw, you think. In the future, you have a daughter. Her father is Sebastian Sallow, and… and she’s brilliant. Beautiful, courageous, more than a bit headstrong, and as determined as you both are if not more so.

You catch yourself actually grinning, and when you glance over at Sebastian, you see the same expression on his face.

“Anything you care to share?” you ask him.

“I know we probably shouldn’t talk about it,” he starts, “but there is one thing that girl said that I won’t soon forget.”

“What’s that?” you ask.

He’s quiet for a moment, and then he admits, “I heard her say she’s looking for a book for her aunt, and you haven’t got any sisters.”

You smile softly and reach for Sebastian’s hand. “No, I don’t.”

He lets you take his hand in his to give a reassuring squeeze.

“She’s still alive,” Sebastian says quietly. “She… she’s still sick, probably. But she’s still alive in the future. She meets my daughter, and she knows her.”

“She does,” you say. “And – and maybe we don’t quite know how that happens yet, but you can have a little faith, Sebastian. Things will work out the way they’re supposed to, and Anne will be with us for a long, long time. There’s still plenty of time to make things right again.”

He nods wordlessly but doesn’t drop your hand.

Just before you arrive at your common room, Ominis stops in his tracks.

“Hang on… Her name, Anne-Marie?” he asks you. “That sounds like something Sebastian would have picked. How generous of you.”

“Aww,” Sebastian laughs. “You must be so in love with me by then to let me pick the name.”

You grit your teeth and ignore them as you murmur the password to the giant stone snake guarding the door, hoping to get some well-earned rest and be rid of these boys for the night.

“Don’t worry, darling,” Sebastian says as he ducks around you and slips inside the door. “I’ll let you pick the name for the second one, and we can duel for rights to the third.”

You go running off after Sebastian and holler, “You bastard Sebastian Sallow, how many damn children are you expecting?!”

Ominis quickly pulls the door shut behind him and shakes his head.

“Godfather,” he mutters to himself. “I’ll never know peace, will I?”

---

[Get to know more of the Sallow kiddos in "the train ain't even left the station" ❤️]

uh racing au??

RFA Highschool AU!

lol this was requested then i accidentally deleted the request my b, but here it is!

dude let me tell u i love highschool au’s thats some good shit right there!!

wasn’t sure if u wanted just general headcanons or specific ones for each charcacter or an x mc kinda thing so i did kinda a mix of all of that lol

So the rfa is basically like the student council

They plan dances and do fundraisers and what not

Everyone knows who they are, the rfa is like an elite little club that does everything for the school

And you’re a new kid

You had gotten directions for your next class from a teacher, but you’d gotten turned around a lost at some point

Class had already started, and there was nobody in the halls to ask other than some boy standing by the windows on his phone

Ignoring the fact that he was a bit intimidating and also supposed to be in class, you walked up to the pink haired boy to ask directions

His turquoise eyes did not look amused, but nevertheless, he pointed towards the door at the end of the hall

“It’s that one.”

“…Oh, ok uh thanks.”

He was gone with no response

Speed walking to the door, you mentally prepared yourself for the embarrassment of having to tell the teacher in front of the whole class you had gotten lost

But when you opened the door, only 5 people were in the room on the other side

Ok…this was definitely not the right class

After you talked to the group and figured out the confusion (turns out the brother of the red headed one had been messing with you) they offered to show you the right way

While you were in there you figured out with was the student council and you noticed some unanswered details for and upcoming dance

Before you left, you gave them a few suggestions for the dance that caught their attention

They invited you back for the end of the day meeting to discuss some more and before you knew it, you were the newest member of the rfa student council

Yoosung-

He’s a lil freshman

Cousin to last years student body president Rika, but her and V had graduated last year and had been the ones that encouraged him to join

He’s like the new kid who really wants to impress all his older friends

But at the same time, he’s already friends with some of the most popular kids in school so he’s definitely not a huge loser or anything (at least that’s what he tells himself)

He was hella excited when you showed up cause then he wasn’t the only one who didn’t know anything lol

You become besties before anything else

He shows you around and you have a lot of classes with him

Its a classic friends to lovers story

Its like one day you and him are just chillin like you always do, then suddenly, you’re seeing things differently

Things you did together all the time as friends now seems like it could be something more

And it was all because of Seven

Boi had all but forced Yoosung to ask you to dance, despite the fact that Yoosung was supposed to be helping Zen with the tickets, and while the dancing itself wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, Seven had decided that exact moment to put on a slow song

Now our boy Yoosung had always thought you were pretty

But you looked gorgeous in this moment

Despite the fact that his hands were on your waist, him holding you arms length away like you were middle schoolers, it was a very sweet moment

And the dynamic completely changed between you guys

He was nervous talking to you now??? Where did that come from???

And you?? Caught yourself checking him out?? The fuck?

You’re both confused and want to go back to the way things were before, but also you just wanna grab each other and make out in a closet somewhere

When you finally get together, you’re such a cute couple

Everyone already thought you were dating anyways, but now you held hands in the halls and it’s like everyone one in the school ships you guys

You weren’t the kind of couple that made out against the lockers between every class, just the kind that people could tell actually liked each other it was cute

You’re eachother first everything lol

You’re always helping each other with homework

And he teaches you how to play lolol

And you meet his mom, who absolutely loves you

Just so cute

Cute lil high school sweethearts type of couple

Zen

Drama student of fucking course

He’s a junior, and most people will agree, the prettiest person in the entire school

Half the school is crushing on him ngl

He went thru a phase his freshman and sophmore year where he was part of the bad crews in school, before he started acting

So he literally knows and is friends with like everyone in the school

Instantly flirty when you show up

Shows you around the school with his arm over your shoulder, and you have never gotten so many glares in your life

He’s so extra like this drama boi is explaining the school as though it were a movie

Pointing out who was who, and telling you all the gossip

Despite the warnings from Jaehee that a lot of girls would prolly actually kill to be in your possition, you continue to hang with Zen

And his flirting goes from playful to more real as you hang out more

Doesn’t take long for you guys to kiss and go on a few dates, but you havent made anything official yet, and it seems the whole school knows that and is on edge over it

Being around Zen is basically like being with Regina George from mean girls, like everyones talking about you and him, nothing is a secret

His ex’s (and a crazy girl who had a crush on him who everyone called echo girl) all hated you

And when he officially asked you out, it was like the whole school knew by the next day

But hey, what are you gonna do when you’re dating the school celebrity?

He loves when you come to his plays

His parents don’t support him doing drama, so often you and the other rfa members are the only ones there to cheer for him

Always getting that boi flowers

And he is your biggest fan in what ever you’re doing

Sports? He’s out there no matter what the weather cheering louder than all the parents

Choir? Helps you with your voice and sings duets with you. Always gives you standing ovations even if no one else is standing

Y’all are just so supportive of each other

A lot of people thought you and him wouldn’t last for long, but your prove them wrong by being a straight up power couple in that bitch

Jaehee

My girl hella smart

She’s also a junior, and in line to be the valedictorian when she graduates

Very academically focused, the rfa being the only club she really has time to participate in

She’s hesitant when you first show up

Home girl’s a stickler for the rules, and she wasn’t sure if it was technically allowed for you to be there??

But you help her out and take a lot of her work load off her hands just by being there

She’s so stressed all the time so when she gets to the meetings and find out you already did the thing she was worried about not having time to do??

Girl loves you

Takes you and her quite a long time to get past being gal pals

Cause she’s just so busy

Literally the last thing she has time to think about it getting a significant other, especially when she’s not even sure of her own sexuality

It was during a fundraiser that she really realized her feelings for you

You and her were handing out snacks to the people that donated while the rest of the group was busy else where when your (mom/dad/aunt/whoever) showed up

They immediately hugged Jaehee and started telling her about how you always talk about how much you admire and like being around her

And you’re blushing hella hard and pushing your guardian away from the table

The incident is not brought up for a while, but its all Jaehee can think about

She’s never been so distracted doing her homework before

Girls confused

Repeats the words “MC is just a friend” over and over

Then she’s just like...fuck it

She goes over to your house and knocks on your door and you answer and she kisses you before she has the chance to change her mind

Y’all are such a good couple

You help her balance her school life so she has more time for fun things

Encourage her to join the coffee club cause she had told you how she wanted to, but was too busy

You guys go on dates to see Zens plays and she’s just so happy

Girl never had someone like you before, and she just loves you so much

ugh let me save this girl

Jumin

Trust Fund Boi

He’s a senior and the richest kid in school

Everyone knows him cause him and his dad are literally famous

But he’s just… not interested

Basically the same lol he thinks all the highschool drama and rumors are a waste of time so he just doesn’t care

Other than the rfa, he doesn’t really have friends

Mostly cause he knows they all just want to use him for something

He’s the type of person that knows highschool is not really that important, he just does his work and goes home

(other than the rfa, which he joined cause v asked him to lol)

Honestly, he’s not really that interested when you show up

You have interesting ideas and can be useful to the council, but other than that he doesn’t really pay much mind to you

Until you basically latch yourself to him like a baby duck

Always following him around cause you have a lot of classes together and he’s the only one you know

You claim you’re hanging with him because you don’t like seeing him sitting alone in class, but he thinks its the other way around

Eventually he realizes he’s not upset just by your presence

You’ve become a tolerable person to be around (how romantic) and slowly but surely, he actually enjoys being with you

In some ways, he’s kinda like Zen cause everyone knows him and everyone’s talking about him

But rather than it coming from a place of admiration, they’re jealous and interested by the rich mysterious kid who only ever talks to you

You get a lot of girls trying to ask you for advice on how to get to his heart

You’re just like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

It be like that

His feelings take forever to develop just cause he’s so out of touch with his emotions

But when they do, it just hits him like a train like boi’s just chilling in his house then suddenly…”I’m in love with MC”

Doesn’t even bother trying to hide his feelings

The next time you and him are alone, he confesses and kisses you and the rest is history

Y’all are such a power couple honestly

Ruling that school

He loves being around you

He met your parents, and you met his dad

You always help him when he gets angry or frustrated towards his dad’s new girlfriends

Always pay attention when he shows blurry pictures of his new kitten Elizabeth

He buys you such nice shit and your just like jumin no high schooler needs multiple diamond bracelets

And he’s just like, oh would you rather have necklaces?

707/ Saeyoung

Class clown oBVI

Known for his pranks and his jokes and getting kicked out of class and his weirdly quiet brother who’s never actually in class but is frequently seen around the school Saeran is bigfoot confirmed

He’s also hella smart

He’s in multiple foreign language classes and head of the tech club and really good at sports despite only ever eating chips and soda for lunch

He’s a sophomore and you’re a freshman, so he takes it upon himself to show you around

Acts like he’s a lot older than he is, and if you didn’t know he was a sophomore, you’d think he was a senior cause he knows everything and everyone knows him

He’s not shy about how he thinks you’re cute

He’ll hug you and kiss your cheeks and ask you to the dances despite the fact that you’ll both be working at them

But he never really goes much further than the playful flirting, so you think he’s just messing with you

But one week he’s missing from school, and despite the rfa saying this happens, often, you’re worried

You search out his brother, who is unbelievable hard to find, and eventually see him out on the bleachers

He does not look happy to have some girl who’s basically a stranger asking about his brother and his home life

Wont tell you anything so that just makes you more suspicious

Seven comes back the next day but he’s all cold and distant towards you

You’re triggered, but not having that shit

It takes a few days, but you’re able to get the truth out of him, and he had found out about how you’d been pestering Saeran about his home life and his absence

He warns you not to get involved with him, and does the whole thing where he says he never liked you in the first place and you don’t really like him and blah blah blah

You stopped listening halfway thru his rant

And then you kiss him

Boi is stunned, glasses askew

“Did you hear anything I just said MC??”

You tell you like him for him, and you would respect if he couldn’t talk about somethings, but you wanted to be part of his life

He slowly opens up to you bit by bit

It takes him a long long time for him to tell you about him mother and what’s going on at his home tho

You help him and Saeran get out of there as soon as they can, helping him with his job or with school work when he gets hella busy

You guys go fucking hard on spirit days, dressin up in matching costumes for homecoming

You guys definitely get cutest couple in the year book

And probably prom king and queen cause literally everyone loves you two

You’re the couple then even the teacher would see and just be like “yep they’re gonna be together forever”

lol guys so I’m in a hotel rn cause I flew down from my home to Boise to tour the college campus and I brought my lap top but not the charger so it’s really a race against time to hope and pray this Bitch posts before my laptop dies lmao

also my b if there’s any mistakes I had to speed edit hope u like it!!

Strange question, but do you think Annie could make Armin cry?💧In a bad way. During an argument or something like that…

Hello!

Not a strange question at all - and I definitely think YES. Armin wears his heart on his sleeve; with Annie he expresses his emotions very openly, and in time, probably without any restraint whatsoever. This level of trust would mean that he doesn't hesitate to cry in front of her, at a (good) time when he's feeling vulnerable and she's there to hold him.

Then, during a fight, with emotions obviously running high and volatile, it's highly possible that Annie, in her strained anger, says something she doesn't mean to say (or on the other hand, doesn't say something he wants to know), and Armin cries. It could either be after she's gone from the vicinity, or if its a particularly bad fight, then right there, in front of her, even if he tries his hardest to hold his tears.

It's going to be heartbreaking to say the least, with him probably feeling pathetic in consequence, and Annie feeling guilty and "bad" for making him cry with hurt.

the previous question about photography and Saeran got me thinking all day and i dont really have time to replay the game myself so i would like to ask you - and the kind people in your comments

☆ has Saeran ever mentioned being into other forms of art? i personally think he (ge?) would love painting and sketching landscapes/plants he saw outside. Also, ive seen quite a lot of fanarts with him playing the piano or the violin. Im not sure if baking is considered art or if he personally considers his desserts as a form of it, but theres that too.

thank you for answering (◜ᴗ◝)

Yes! A common theme with Saeran is drawing and doodling. His diary is bonus material that you can purchase from the Cheritz Market in the Special Believer Box, and in it, he uses a mixture of drawing and writing to put down entries when he's a little boy. He also uses little doodles to represent the entire honeymoon journey in the Passport Package!

I assume it's because it's easier for him to draw than it is to write since it would have taken him a while to learn how to write properly. It became a habit for him. Kids tend to find ways to express themselves even if you don't teach them how, and for Saeran, it seemed to be his perfect outlet was drawing. It helped him show what he wanted to say but couldn't. This is something he's continued to do later in life, and it's been shown in subsequent material that he likes to draw for himself.

Saeyoung would've been the one teaching him how to read and write since he couldn't attend church, after all. A baby teaching another baby would take a lot of time and care, and Saeran's penmanship as a kid does express that difficulty to learn how to write. That's why we put so much emphasis on fine motor skills when kids are just getting into school, people. They have to be taught how to grip things, be it a pencil, or a pair of scissors!

As far as violin or piano fanart goes, there's no canon basis for it, I'm afraid. That's tied into the themes for Saeran and Mint Eye, and how so many fans love the idea of Ray or Suit Saeran playing the game ost! Personally, I subscribe to the violin theory. I like to think about how it also ties them to V's mother in a tragic sort of way when I'm writing different AUs.

Baking and Cooking count in my opinion! It started as a means to impress the player, but it turned into a passion. GE Saeran's love language is acts of service, quality time, and words of affirmation. Love and time goes into learning how to make a new dish. That's something that Ray, Suit Saeran, and GE Saeran share. There are plenty of game CGs and supplementary material that support this!

The boys from Mystic Messenger would never treat me like this.